Saint Thomas Aquinas' End for Which Man Is Made and the Suicides of Dante's Inferno.

Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches that the end for which man is made is to be reunited with the divine goodness of God through virtuous behavior as well as the use of rational human intellect in order to know and love God above all. Dante Alighieri composed The Inferno based upon Aquinas' theological teachings - teachings which were most significantly influenced by Aristotelian philosophy but had an overall theological theme. Instead of Alighieri exemplifying man's expected end of reuniting with God at the end of one's journey, he rather illustrates how man can pervert that end by loving evil things, which seem to bring happiness, above loving the actual, infinite source of happiness - God. Forever condemned to moving towards the evil things they sought on earth, the sinners in Dante's work are condemned to a hectic afterlife spent in hell instead of sharing in eternal peace and happiness with God. Therefore, those who sin destroy their humanity by not using their uniquely human gift of intellect and free will to reason against evil desires. Dante symbolically portrays their self-destruction by hopelessly entrapping the sinners in a specific ring of hell where they receive their punishment depending on the evil they sought on earth. Such punishment is appropriate because God grants the sinners their wish of choosing against God and so they suitably pay for their sin based on its cause and severity. Due to Aquinas' view of the end of man, which was collectively shared by middle age society, Dante composed a guide through hell illustrating how those who turn from God will suffer greatly at the end of life's journey. Aquinas joined the Dominican Friars at the age of eighteen despite his family's objections. The order differed from other orders due to their emphasis on theological education; therefore, Aquinas, who studied in Italy as a child, went on to study in Paris and eventually taught throughout Italy and France .[1] Aquinas was first introduced to Aristotle at a young age but as he continued his studies he used Aristotelian philosophy to help justify nearly every aspect of his thinking, even though middle age society was somewhat weary of Aristotle's paganism. Still, Aquinas' two famous works of Summa tried to successfully combine faith and reason, mainly based on Aristotelian concepts, in order to discuss various controversial topics. Aquinas successfully synthesized both faith and reason to prove that each lead to the knowledge of God even though faith can overall uncover concepts that are unable to be proven by logical arguments (Aristotelian - based disputations). Aquinas used this scholasticism - the combination of ancient philosophy with Christian theology - in order to argue many theological topics, the most important of these topics being the final end for which man is made. [2] Aristotle believed that through the use of the intellect we could receive happiness, for the good of itself, by simply contemplating the impersonal "prime mover" who doesn't particularly care about those who reside on earth. This "prime mover", too, is not the creator of all things, as Aquinas believed, but is the goal to which humans are to move towards in the final end to find true happiness. Aquinas built onto this Aristotelian view the theological aspect of a loving God that can be known face to face through the use of the intellect. One can receive God through a beatific vision - the human ability to intellectually receive the perfect possession of God as well as His infinite goodness to cure man's yearning for happiness.[3] Through this vision man comes in contact with being itself - being that calls everyone to reunite with The Creator in the final end. Humans answer His call by using free will to reason against evil desires in order to desire only God and lead a virtuous life; only then can we reunite with God at the end of our pilgrimage on earth. Based on Aquinas' teaching on...

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For the most part, the categorized punishments in Hell that Dante assigns are...

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Dante’s journey takes him through the seventh circle of Hell which possesses rings of violent sinners. The first ring contains the sinners who are violent towards themselves. Dante encounters a sinner who said, “We too shall come like the rest, each one to get/ His cast-off body – but not for us to dwell/ Within again, for justice must forbid/ Having what one has robbed oneself of” (105. Line 96-99). This demonstrates the individuals in this ring have committed the sin of violence against themselves. By taking their own life they revealed that they have no appreciation for the gift of their own life that God had provided them with. The punishment for these sinners is to be turned into trees and to be immobile, thus denying them the right to take the form of a human. Since these sinners self...

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Cantos 1&2
Encounters
Discuss the symbolism of the 3 beasts encountered by the narrator.
The narrator describes the beasts of the Leopard, the Lion, and the She-Wolf.
The Leopard symbolizes Concupiscence and Envy.
The Lion symbolizes Violence and Pride. There is not much description given to the Lion, other than the Lion threatens to attack the Narrator.
The She-Wolf symbolizes Fraud and Avarice because it’s introduction shows the Narrator describing it as “a rack for avarice, gaunt, and craving.” Virgil even talks about how the She-Wolf “knows no glut, but feeding, she grows hungrier than she was.”
Who is Virgil and what is his importance?
Virgil is a shade, who was once a man, who has been sent to assist the Narrator in crossing through Hell until he reaches the “burning mountain,” where another spirit is to guide the Narrator, as Virgil is unable to go there as a result of past rebellion. Virgil is important because he represents Human Reason, which has the ability to assist us up to a certain extent.
Allusions
What is the purpose of the DARK WOOD?
The Dark Wood is where the Narrator has strayed from the True Way, which can be interpreted as a symbol for Sin, which separates us from God’s path, as the Narrator describes the Dark Wood as being a place of fear, numbing, and evil.
What is the STRAIGHT ROAD?
The Straight Road is an allegory for God’s...

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Referred to as a comedy by Dante Alighieri himself and named by later ages for recognition of both its subject matter and achievements, The Divine Comedy, Dante’s epic poem is one of the incontestable great works of world literature. It includes a wide range of distinct literary elements; it celebrates the central doctrines of medieval Christianity with great enthusiasm while still remaining sympathetic to the human heart. It is one of the most deeply serious works in world literature, it’s main concern is the relation of the creator to his creatures and the ultimate destiny of the human soul; and yet it has room for not just grim irony but scenes of generous good humor and vulgarity. There have been many adaptations throughout the ages to Dante’s work, whether through literature or film, different perspectives provide for different accounts of Dante’s original masterpiece. In the contents of this paper we will examine and analyze the original poem by the author then compare and contrast the differences and similarities of the film versions to the original work of Dante Alighieri’s Inferno.
In the original work by Dante, the Inferno begins on the evening of Good Friday in the year 1300. Wandering through a dark forest, Dante has lost his way and fearfully searches for a way out, he sees the sun shining down on the...